Cottage Begins Phased-in Return of Non-Emergency Procedures

By Santa Ynez Valley Star Staff · Tue Mar 17 2020

Staff Report

Cottage Health has begun a gradual return to scheduled non-emergency essential procedures and surgeries at half capacity.

The State of California authorized medical facilities to resume these procedures if specific guidelines are met by hospitals and their communities. Thanks to the community’s strong support of social distancing measures put in place by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Cottage hospitals have seen low numbers of Covid-19 patients.

Cottage developed criteria to ensure safety for non-emergency procedures by continually monitoring these measures:

            - Growth rate of new cases within the community

            - Covid-19 testing capacity – test all patients scheduled for surgery/procedure

            - Inventory of personal protective equipment and medical supplies

            - Therapeutics inventory levels

            - Number of available beds in the hospital

            - Placement availability in post-acute care facilities

Additional staff and patient safety protocols include intensive cleaning processes in all areas of the hospital. Individuals can also expect the following: